Jim Leyland stepping down as Tigers manager led to some speculation that Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson could be an option to replace him in Detroit, where the Michigan native played 12 seasons.

However, team chief executive officer Derrick Hall told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the Diamondbacks likely would not grant Gibson permission to interview with the Tigers, saying: “He’s not going anywhere.”

Gibson has certainly gotten plenty of criticism this season, several members of his coaching staff won’t return for 2014, and Piecoro reports that the Diamondbacks “recently declined contract options that would have locked up Gibson through 2016.”

So now he’s signed for just one more season, but Hall says Gibson “likes it here” and “is a loyal guy.” Of course, it’s probably too soon to know if the Tigers are actually interested in Gibson, which might change the situation quite a bit. They might need some grit in Detroit too, you know.

Ken Towers is a D-Bag. He has no problem with letting Gibson go to Detroit, he just wants to be percieved as getting the better end of any deal. Towers knows Ilitch has no problems overpaying to get his man and is trying to create leverage.

And this isn’t saying that Detroit even wants him. I can’t see Dombrowski/Ilitch would very much be willing to overpay for the right guy (if they pick a manager under contract) but overpaying for a guy like Gibson? Nope.

Towers is a D-Bag for a number of reasons. The problem with how he negotiates is when he is at at a postion of strength….he overplays his hand and ends up pissing off the other party. Then he ends up getting less from someone else (or nothing at all) later.

Look at the way he handled the Justin Upton situation. He was basically done with a player and knew he was going to be traded…..Towers left better trades on the table because he felt he could get more. Then when those teams moved on he had to settle with what he could get from Atlanta, because he had painted himself into a corner and alienated Upton who had to go.

So you have Gibson, who you just neglected to re-sign and seem to have a love/hate relationship…..often publically questioning/second guessing decisions he’s made. The Tigers come calling. Is it the best strategy in the whole world to A) take what you can get or B) Push for too much and the tigers walk away.

This is only Kurt Gibson after all.

lionsplayoffs - Oct 22, 2013 at 1:06 PM

Amen…please, please, please figure out a way to get Joe Maddon to Detroit.

DBacks say they want to keep both Gibson and Towers, but both of their contracts expire after 2014 unless their options are picked up, which haven’t been in either case. Good luck retooling your coaching staff with the entire brain trust on a very short leash. Anyone with more secure options is unlikely to join the DBacks’ staff. Very short sighted by Kendrick and Hall. If Gibson and Towers are not good enough to exercise their contract options, don’t limp through 2014–make a change now.

Actually, Gibby did indeed play 12 seasons with the Tigers. He was a Tiger from ’79-’87 and then again from ’93-’95. Count ‘em up, that’s twelve seasons. I don’t know where the heck you got 5 from, but I guess now you’re qualified to blog for Yahoo. Congrats.

What a lovely image Gibson presents as he hobbles out to the mound to remove one of the team’s terrible pitchers. I can’t imagine Detroit would want the mumbling jackass as their manager, but if they do, Phoenix might rise again.

Wait – what? Hall didn’t say that he wouldn’t grant permission. The “he’s not going anywhere” stance came from Gibson’s response to the conversation. Let’s not bash Hall over this… Bashing Tower’s for personnel decisions is still fair game.

As both a Tiger fan and a Gibby fan I would love to see Gibby get a shot at managing Detroit, but I think Gibby is on a mission in Arizona and has a chance to make the playoffs with them. Just a handful of wins more and the D-Backs would have been contenders. That is a goal that is within reach for the Diamondbacks next year.